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The Theory of Age Relativism

Local Columns

In some circles the term “relativism” is a dirty word. Moral relativism, for instance, holds to the belief that ethical truths depend on the people holding them. I disagree with this type of relativism. On the other hand (as a lawyer might say) there is a relativism that cannot be denied. I call it Age Relativism and I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately in light of another recent birthday. What we think about what we observe around us depends on our age. That’s Age Relativism. Former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes understood the concept. “Old age,” he ...

Without a strong Farm Bill, outlook is bleak for farmers and everyone who eats

Local Columns

March 14 is a big date this year. It’s the second day of the Big 12 basketball tournament (Go State!); it’s Pi Day – you can celebrate with math or dessert; and most importantly, it’s also the date set for a government shutdown unless Congress can agree to increase the debt ceiling. A big part of that shutdown is the ongoing negotiation for a long overdue Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is up for renewal every five years and is already almost two years past due. Luckily, Congress has renewed the Farm Bill through September 2025, but that doesn’t mean it’s without issue. Farmers ...

Why Iowa's repeal of anti-discrimination laws is unconstitutional

Editorials

Civil rights are not reversible. Once the ratchet of rights has been opened, they cannot tighten. This was the argument of Martin Luther King, Jr, who stated numerous times, including after the famous march to Selma, that “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Reversals on the protection of individual rights are not just ethically wrong, but they are also constitutionally impermissible. The Iowa Legislature’s decision to repeal civil rights protections for members of the transgender community is problematic for many reasons. For one, it flies ...

Sen. Guth, 'We will not forget or forgive'

Editorials

To the editor: In 2024, I spent 10 months running for the Iowa Senate. The district includes Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Wright and northern Story Counties (Roland and Story City.) It's a big, rural district and mostly Republican. I'm a Democrat, and like a lot of Dems in 2024, I did not win. Senator Dennis Guth was re-elected on a platform of: 1. No eminent domain for private gain; 2. Medical Freedom (freedom from vaccine requirements but zero freedom to make decisions about women's reproductive health) and; 3. Changing the basis of our currency to one based on the ...

Memories of Opa

Local Columns

This is the story of a man of humble origins who moved to a new country and worked hard but never acquired wealth or fame. This man was my maternal grandfather and this year will mark the 60th anniversary of his passing. My grandfather was born in an East Frisian village near Weener, Germany, in 1892. He was named after his father, Dirk Gelder, but I knew him as Opa, the German and Dutch word for “grandpa.” Opa’s father died in 1899 leaving his mother a penniless widow with seven children, Dirk being the youngest. According to family lore, Hinderk, the oldest of Opa’s ...

Blizzard: 0 Hamilton County: 1

Editorials

On behalf of everyone who looked out their windows Wednesday, sincerely grateful they did not have to go outside, thank you to everyone who did. You know who you are: Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies, Webster City Police officers, the line crews, street crews, and all emergency ...